(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to beds, but more specifically to patient and convalescent beds for the care of persons who have restricted mobility, have limited abilities of movement, have pulmonary complications, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to patient convalescent beds which oscillate on a longitudinal axis.
Heretofore, the need for an improved patient care apparatus, in particular in the form of a convalescent bed which helps alleviate various physical and medical problems associated with persons who are confined to bed for extended periods, has long been recognized. The difficulties and secondary trauma resulting from such confinement are well documented. Many problems arise when a person's body remains in a prone position without movement for extended periods of time. For example, restricted movement of the body can cause blood pooling in the lower portions of the body, resulting in the risk of life threatening clots. The patient may also experience a higher risk of pneumonia, or other respiratory infections, induced by the stagnation of the bodily fluids caused by the lack of motion.
Persons confined to bed for prolonged periods with restricted movement will also experience atrophied muscle tissue. Another significant side effect, while less life threatening, is the formation of decubitus ulcers (pressure sores) on the prominences of the body which come in direct and continuous contact with the bed. These unpleasant, large and very painful sores can form in a matter of hours if the patient is not moved on a regular basis and pose a serious health problem.
It has long been recognized by medical personnel that regular turning of the body, so that its weight rests on different longitudinal sectors (i.e. the left side, the back and the right side), will significantly reduce or prevent the negative effects of continuous, localized pressure and positioning on the body caused by being confined to bed. Manual turning, while effective, is at best cumbersome and, since patients usually can not assist in the turning, often causes injury to those performing the turning. Manual turning is very labor intensive, and in a hospital or nursing home setting may not always be accomplished at the necessary intervals. In the home care setting, manual turning requires the almost continuous presence of family or health care personnel, increasing both time and financial burdens.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore there have been a variety of oscillatory patient beds, cradle bed frames, rocking bed structures and the like which are discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,511 to Sequin. The patents mentioned in the Sequin patent are incorporated herein by reference. None of the prior art patents discussed in the Sequin patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,511), disclose or teach the unique features and combination of structure with added advantages for improved patient care as compared to the subject oscillatory bed described herein.